Phil Womble Ethics in Sports Award: Miles Souza, Carpinteria High

Carpinteria High junior Miles Souza was given a poster of Baseball Hall of Famer Roberto Clemente by his fifth-grade teacher which still hangs in his bedroom.

Clemente was killed in a plane crash on New Year’s Eve of 1972 while trying to deliver relief aid to earthquake victims in Nicaragua.

“There’s a quote on that poster which says, ‘Any time you have an opportunity to make a difference in this world and you don’t, then you are wasting your time on Earth,’” said Dave Pintard, who helps sponsor the Womble Award. “Miles strives every day to emulate those words of Roberto Clemente as a student, a teammate, and as a community member.”

Souza, the son of Kurt and Stephanie Souza, plays basketball and baseball for the Warriors. He received all-league honorable mention in baseball as a freshman and was a first-team selection last year.

He received the school’s Daryl Brown Warrior Award last year.

Souza has also earned Academic All-League honors for three straight years while accumulating a grade-point average of 4.5.

He’s a member of the California Scholarship Federation and has also won the President’s Award for Academic Excellence. He’s served as an AVID tutor at Carpinteria High, which has honored him with academic development awards in science and math.

Souza volunteers as a coach in the Santa Barbara Pony League and has also assisted the Carpinteria Valley Little League. He also coaches and referees soccer for AYSO, and volunteers for the Russell Cup and other track and field meets.

He credited his family, coaches and teachers for his success.

“They always push me to succeed, but they also teach me how to be a good person and a better teammate,” Souza said.